VietNamNet Bridge – Many Vietnamese refuse to believe that local workers’ productivity is 1/15th that of Singaporeans, as reported recently by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

The report showed that Vietnamese workers’ productivity is the lowest in Asia Pacific, only equal to 1/5 of Malaysia’s, 2/5 of Thailand’s, and 1/15 of Singapore’s.

Dr. Nguyen Mai, chair of the Foreign-invested Enterprises Association (VAFIE), said:

“I asked high-ranking strategic advisors to Samsung Vietnam if any of the 43,000 Vietnamese workers in their factory in Bac Ninh province had been sacked because of laziness and low productivity, and I received a ‘no’ answer.”

“They say the majority of Vietnamese workers can satisfy requirements, and more Vietnamese have been admitted to the management board, who will be able to replace South Korean managers in the future,” he added.

The expert went on to say that though Vietnamese workers do not receive high pay, their quality has improved, which is one of the major reasons for more foreign direct investment (FDI).

He also said that he does not know which criteria and methods ILO used when making comparisons. Singapore obtained an impressive economic growth rate of 35 percent in 2012, when it began opening casinos. However, the economy’s growth rate has fallen to 3-4 percent, while the major source of income is from the services and the finance sector.

In Thai Nguyen province, where there is also a Samsung factory, the high-ranking advisor from India often comes to the office early. When asked about this, he said, though the working hour starts at 8.00 am, many Vietnamese workers are present at 7.00 am, and he thinks he also needs to come early.

Mai noted that foreign managers highly appreciate Vietnamese workers and talk about them with sympathy, even though Vietnamese workers may think badly of one another. Mai said is was beneficial for Vietnamese workers to be critical of themselves, but it would be better to be fair when assessing their abilities.

A reader, introducing himself as an engineer who has worked with many foreign experts, sent an email to Nguoi Lao Dong’s editorial department, saying that the qualification of Vietnamese is not inferior to foreigners.

The engineer himself once helped corrected errors he found in a design work done by a Singaporean expert, who said that it was excellent. He also pointed out errors made by a Japanese engineer in his design for a project in Lao Bao.

“I can say for sure that Vietnamese qualifications are very good. The problem is that they don’t have a good ‘playing field’ to show their talents,” he said.

However, he said that it is worth considering why Vietnamese workers have high qualifications, but Vietnam’s GDP is only 1/33rd of Singapore’s.

“The answer, I think, lies in the management mechanism,” he said.

Kim Chi